The $12.5 billion acquisition of Avidity Biosciences Inc. by Novartis AG strengthens the company’s neuroscience pipeline and marks the second biggest deal that’s been announced this year. It also is the fifth M&A deal in the past five weeks to top the $1 billion mark, a sign that the market may be strengthening.

Adocia SA is looking to further apply its Biochaperone formulation technology to metabolic disorders, Olivier Soula, Adocia co-founder and CEO told BioWorld, the firm having recently gained positive top-line phase III results of Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s THDB-0206 injection (Biochaperone Lispro) in diabetes patients in China.

Stem cells are a promising therapeutic modality to fight aging and age-related disease, speakers at the Bio-Plus Interphex Korea 2025 said. Progress in cell-based longevity medicine is being made, they added, although safety, ethical and regulatory issues are ongoing challenges.

Ventyx Biosciences Inc. rolled out positive results from the phase II study with oral, once-daily VTX-3232 in patients with obesity and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors.

Two biopharma companies launched within the past year raised top amounts in series B financings for 2025, seeking to advance their therapeutic candidates for cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

Tvardi Therapeutics Inc. stock lost 83.9% of its value as investors took in poor preliminary results of the phase II study of its lead candidate for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The company’s shares (NASDAQ:TVRD) closed at $6.69 each on Oct. 13.

Lexeo Therapeutics Inc. feels like it’s in a faster lane to a BLA for its Friedreich ataxia cardiomyopathy gene therapy after talking with the U.S. FDA. The agency told Lexeo that LX-2006 could be on the accelerated approval path if there is a mingling of the company’s data and studies.

Taho Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced an NDA submission to the U.S. FDA for TAH-3311, developed as the world’s first oral dissolving film formulation of apixaban, marking a regulatory milestone for the Taipei-based biotech.

Novo Nordisk A/S terminated its global licensing deal with Japan’s Heartseed Inc. for its allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes.

Word Sept. 4 from Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. that the U.S. FDA extended the PDUFA date for the sNDA related to Pyrukynd (mitapivat), after the Cambridge, Mass.-based firm submitted a proposed risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS), drew Wall Street’s attention to the regulatory approach.